Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

The Movistar Team will again be covering a significant part of the Belgian cobbled classics tournée in the 2022 men’s calendar, starting with an Omloop Het Nieuwsblad whose pivotal sections in the last few years have been the legendary climbs of the Kapelmuur and the Bosberg, the last two of 13 ascents in the program. It’s always an exciting race, with its start in Ghent’s velodrome ‘t Kuipke -still with restricted attendance this year, though-, its ‘pre-De Ronde’ atmosphere and mostly because it’s considered the first big classic of the year.

The hardest part of this race -featuring 12 cobbled sectors- is located in the second half, with the series of difficulties making it hard to interpret, as it can be split sooner or later, it’s narrow, windy, there’s lots of direction changes, road furniture and bad weather is likely. It’s one which really requires you to race focused and at the front. That’s what makes this race difficult, even if big groups have reached the finish together in recent times.